Our basic nature is pure awareness that simply cognizes experience. Everything else is temporary and adventitious.

Generosity generates its own enthusiasm. We don't have to force ourselves to be generous; we just need to start.

The root of suffering is attachment.

The practitioner and practice are like fire and wood. The more you practice, the more you burn.

People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

Happiness is a skill that can be developed like playing an instrument or learning to read.

The past is for learning from, not for living in.

Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.

The Buddha's teaching is not about belief but about investigation, not about accepting but about examining.

To be fully alive, fully human, and completely awake is to be continually thrown out of the nest.

A pure mind is always full of love - real love for all others.

The perfect moment is this one, not the one you're waiting for.

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

Genuine happiness comes from having developed basic human qualities, such as attention, emotional balance, and generosity.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

Whatever is happening is the path to enlightenment.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

The practice is not about achieving special states but about seeing ordinary experience with extraordinary clarity.

The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one's life.

Self-awareness is the key to freedom. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand how to be free.

The entire path is a path of self-responsibility. Nobody else can walk it for you.

Peace in oneself, peace in the world.

For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

In a mind clear as still water, even the waves, breaking, are reflecting its light.

When you practice zazen you should not try to attain anything. You should just sit in the complete calmness of your mind and not rely on anything.

The nature of all things is like a magical illusion, a mirage, a dream, a reflection of the moon in water.

Meditation is the road to happiness.

As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, passion will break through an unreflecting mind.

When you let go of trying to control everything, you can relax and enjoy life.

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

Peace and negativity cannot coexist just as light and darkness cannot coexist.